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Glen Ellyn SD 41 says bus service has improved; bids show large premium for untiered alternative
Summary
District staff told the board that bus service has materially improved since winter break but that market bids to replace current contractor are substantially higher; board members asked for assurances for next school year as kindergarten service expands.
Glen Ellyn SD 41 officials reported March 17 that school transportation service provided by Safeway Transportation Services has improved in recent weeks after a difficult start to the school year, but that competitive bids to replace the vendor indicate significantly higher costs.
Eric DePorter, the district's Assistant Superintendent for Finance, Facilities and Operations, said the district now runs 36 morning and 36 afternoon routes and that Safeway has reduced late runs: “In the month March, so far, we've had 3 late buses,” he reported. Eric told the board Safeway reorganized depot leadership, revised its cold‑weather procedures, and has met the district’s target run times in recent weeks.
The district ran a bid process in February. Eric said the district received three bids; one was substantially higher than current costs and one was slightly higher than Safeway. He said an option to stop tiering with the high school and operate untiered routes would raise costs “approximately 80% more than what we're paying today,” and that continuing a shared/tiered arrangement with District 87 would cost roughly $5 million more over four years than the low‑cost Safeway proposal.
Board members pressed for a clear accountability plan going into next fall, when the district will add kindergarten routes. Eric said the district and Safeway have already discussed a summer schedule of operational checks and registration deadlines to allow route optimization, and that Safeway expects to add six to eight buses depending on final kindergarten registration. He said the contract language currently expects buses to arrive 10 minutes before school bell times; the board allowed five minutes before without penalty during the tight morning window created by the shared high school schedule earlier in the year.
Board members said they appreciate the improvement but noted the high cost of an untiered switch when the district is expanding kindergarten transportation. “I have a lot of reservations about maximizing our premium,” one board member said, noting uncertainty about federal funding and the district’s ability to pay a large premium. The board did not take a final procurement decision at the meeting and staff said they will continue negotiating with Safeway and monitoring performance.
